This park was featured in an article on this website a little while back, and while we do appreciate the attention ... the article wasn't very accurate and NONE of the photos in the story were actually taken on the park.

And so, if you would like to learn about the park, and see photos of the park, check out the official website at http://www.harlancountytrails.com .

 

Can you give a few examples as to what was inaccurate? Don't misunderstand, I'm not challanging you, I'm just curious.

 

No problem. Maybe I over-react, but I worked as a reporter here for the past two years and have watched the thing grow from an idea to reality. Alot of people put a lot into this park and it always seems the outside-press gets the people and BASIC details wrong and totally botch up the story of how this park was formed, who actually formed it, and how it operates.

First and foremost, not one of the photos in the story was actually taken on the park. Yes, half-way down in the story the author writes that he take an off-park ride. But it is quite odd in a story called "Black Mountain Recreation Park," under a subhead titled "Black Mountain Recreation Park," to not include one photo of Black Mountain Recreational Park.

Secondly, the photos cause problems themselves: One photo shows ATV riders travelling on a highway through a tunnel. Not only is that place about 30 miles from the park, it's illegal to ride an ATV on the highway in Kentucky. Another photo shows a rider illegally in a lake that I won't name for fear of angering the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife any further, who recently announced they would be stepping up enforcement on nearby WMA areas after they became over-run with illegal ATVers. These two photos alone are a horrible misrepresentation of what is acceptable and what is not.

Third, the story states "Harlan County Ridge Runners, the local ATV Club that operates the park and trail system." That may be news to the Harlan County Fiscal Court and the Harlan County Recreational Board Authority, who leased the property from the landowner two years ago. This board manages the park, sets the rules, and spends lots of money producing trail maps, maintaining and marking the trails, and advertising the park and the county. The Harlan County Ridge Runners are a fine club, but I doubt they would want people to think they operate the park. The writer also writes that the "people of Evarts" are responsible for developing the riding area ... which is another slap in the face to the fiscal court, the board, and the 4x4 club which were clearing trails on that mountain a year before the Ridge Runners were ever conceived.

Fourth, at the time the story was written, driving through the city streets of Evarts was illegal as well. However the city finally got on the ball and passed an ordinance about a month ago to make that legal, so in that case the story is no longer incorrect on that matter.

Anyway, I've seen a lot of press come down here and do some great stories but this was by far one of the most innaccurate articles I've ever seen about the park. As a former reporter myself I can't imagine how anyone can write a story about something without bothering to investigate any of the facts at all, without even bothering to talk with a representative of the county or the park board, without looking up some simple ATV laws or even checking out relevant news stories from the local newspaper, or from the several Associated Press articles, which would have answered alot of the basic questions very quickly: who, what, when, where and why!

I would love to see someone else from ATV connection come down and give it another shot.

 

Brandon, I support your right to say what you want but I feel you are steeping a little over the line here. You are making statements you can not back up with "evidence". Prior to the Ordinance being passed in Evarts to allow ATV's on the street, there was a general agreement with the town board. The ordinance was to bring everything more in line with Ky. state law. And, as the writer of the report, I will stand by the fact that every trail, road, whatever, we rode, was completely legal.
For anyone reading this and wants the "facts" you may log onto
http://www.kyoutdoors.com and request any information you wish.

 

I can back this up with evidence. I wrote a story for the local newspaper on this issue over 6 months ago. That can be read here:

http://www.harlandaily.com/articles/...s/news9881.txt

The basic rundown the best I can tell was that someone was talking bout passing an ordinance once, and it got picked up by the Associated Press as a fact. The AP never bothered to check it out ... there was no ordince. Everybody ran with that, and everyone from the club members to the club president spread that around like wildfife. The city passed a resolution that declared Evarts as an "ATV friendly" town, but in no way did this make the roads legal for ATV travel, which is prohibited by Kentucky State Law. Also mind that the city limits end about 9/10 of a mile from the park entrance, where ATVs travel a state road that the city has no authority over.

After many, many complaints, and after the truth got out that there was no ordinance, the Kentucky State Police visited Evarts and issued citations for charges including "Operating ATV on Roadway." When this happened, the club president himself wouldn't even stand behind the ATV riding on the streets, stating that "as the city"he never told anyone it was legal. Keep in mind he is a 30+ member of the city council.

The story I wrote in the paper further explained that the club had tried and failed to get legislation passed in 2005 that would have made the riding legal, and also explained that the "ATV Crossing" signs were not a permission slip from the state to ride ATVs on the road, although many were told so. The state issued a press release to clarify this topic again after my story was ignored:

http://www.harlandaily.com/articles/...s/news9757.txt

Finally the city begin to research what needed to be legally done and finally did pass an ordinance, on August 17, 2006. And though it is completely full of holes, the ordinance is at least a start in the right direction. Read here:

http://www.harlandaily.com/articles/...s/news9637.txt

I am sure you tried to do a good job on your story, but it's impossible to know all the goings-on in a situation like this when you are an outsider. You have to do research!

 

Folks I am sorry that you have to put up with this crap.......as Brandon does this all over the net.....not good for our sport anywhere for sure.
First the state of Ky had never written an ordinance for legal street riding in towns so a local branch of state gov. told us to do it by resolution.......which we did.....which Brandon was told and given the chance to visit city hall to view it.........I have been on the city council 31 years now........and we would not ask locals or our friends from outta town.... to come break the law. Now, with state help we have city ord. no. 2006-8.....which allows you to ride your toy thru town.....obey all laws and be OK.
The writer of the article for our park did in fact state is was an off park ride....which we have the verbal OK to ride this property........and soon our County Gov. will have much of it under lease as well......Brandon should know this...............as he works for the family that owns some of this land. No doubt that his crap on here has turned some of you off to coming and riding our area..........would not blame you. But know this the Harlan Co. Ridge Runners and all 863 members do not sanction anything that would reflect a bad image for our town, park, or the sport as a whole.

 

 

1st. It is true that HCRR was kept in the dark for a year that there was county land to ride on. We still don't know who kept it secret or why this was kept secret. One would never know that there were such trails in the county until the HARLAN COUNTY RIDGE RUNNERS became involved. Before that, no one ever saw anyone on this land.
The Harlan County Ridge Runners are on the park daily, picking up trash, repairing damaged trails (by hand) correcting damaged signs offering assistance to anyone riding, regardless of which side of the mountain they arrived on.

2nd. It is true that off road toys get in mud holes and enjoy a good splash, but we ATV riders "do not cross water ways in order to climb a rocky hill, to tare it up enough to cause the hill to slide and erode. Never has the Harlan County Ridge Runners held a club event on the park, that while in town at the mouth of Bailey's Creek the water from the holler ran dark brown and muddy. I have photo's of this. The Ridge Runners were having a dinner at the walking track that particular day. In order for a stream of that size to run into the Cloverfork River that was running clear, to be muddy, it took alot of water ways being abused.

3rd. Riding ATV's on the streets of Evarts: Well so far no one has been injured, everyone obeys the traffick laws, if there is a large group going slow on the road, we pull over and allow traffic to flow.

4th. It is true that the Harlan County Ridge Runners do not own the park nor did we create it, but we do work extremely hard to insure it is a success for the county as a whole.

5th. We remember seeing photo's and reading articles in the Harlan Daily Surprise that did not accurately portray a whole lot of stories and events......

6th. Just rumors, but I have heard that certain government officials would like to see the Evarts Trail Head closed. This was due to the population of Evarts and it being in a populated community and the Trail Head needing to be in an unpopulated area some where else in the County where one can ride straight to the hills. I have my thoughts about this that I won't share. Any thoughts on this?????

7th. The HARLAN COUNTY RIDGE RUNNERS respect and thank local law enforcement for thier participation and support they provide for us and our visitors. If one is breaking the law, then law enforcement does thier job as they are paid to do. I guess one should not break the law if they don't want to come into contact with law enforcement.

8th. Visitors of the Park, please be informed that the Harlan County Ridge Runners is a respectful CLUB. We in no way intentionally break the laws that are set for us as citizens. For those of you who have joined us in Evarts, I don't think I have to convince you of that.

PLEASE VISIT MY COUNTY AND RIDE MY PARK. I SAY MY PARK, BECAUSE I AM A WORKING CLASS PERSON WHO PAYS TAXES AND THE COUTNY BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE.

 

I assure you, there is no "government official" trying to close down Bailey's Creek Trailhead. The park is managed by 5 fine folks who run the park as fair as possible and would have no reason to do that. They have total control, and they don't play politics. If you really believe something like that, you should go the monthly board meeting and ask. Don't trust someone else to go for you and then tell you what is going on. You risk letting someone lead you around like a sheep. I think you would be relieved to see that the sky isn't falling like you have been told. However if you want to "solidify" the Bailey's Creek Trailhead, you should come to the board meetings and push for parking facilities at the trailhead, as this is the trailheads greatest need and biggest risk. It has already been discussed at a meeting several months ago, and since then it hasn't been mentioned again. Why? Where are your leaders? Evarts needs to become more competitive instead of combatitive.

Also, the park wasn't kept secret for a year. That is a little far-fetched, don't you think? The park was being worked on a year before the Ridge Runners club ever formed ... this is probably what you are referring to

 

Why does the Bailey's Creek Trailhead need a parking facility, when there are many places in Evarts you can park and unload your toy for free and ride to the trailhead? This makes for more ATV traffic on the streets, but for the most part everyone who rides on the streets to the trailhead do so in a well behaved manor...of course you have the occasional idiot who has to go faster than he/she is supposed to, but that's where the law enforcement will step in. No different than abusing the roads in a vehicle. You break the law, you pay the price.